The Picture-Perfect Politician : Gender Stereotypes amongst Youth on Political Leadership, Skills and (their own) Imagined Political Futures

Despite increasing efforts to undo gender inequalities through citizenship education and classroom interventions, the gender gap in political self-efficacy persists (García-Albacete & Hoskins, 2024). Scholars often explain this through role congruity theory; boys succeed to picture themselves in politics because stereotypical traits associated with masculinity overlap with stereotypical traits of leadership (Eagly, Wood & Diekman, 2000; Eagly & Karau, 2002; Bos et al. 2022). In contrast, girls often struggle to imagine themselves as political leaders, partly due to fewer relatable role models and because they learn that they do not fit in the world of politics as their feminine attributes are incongruent with political leadership roles (Fraile & de Miguel Moyer, 2022).  As politics becomes more feminine and a greater diversity of female bodies enter politics, this could strengthen girls’ beliefs that they belong in the political world. Recently, scholars observed a growing appreciation for stereotypical feminine (communal) leadership styles. However, stereotypical masculine characteristics remain the norm and feminine characteristics in leaders are perceived as ‘nice-to-have’ add-ons (as opposed to vital traits that evidence the competence of political leaders) (Vial & Napier, 2018; Tremmel & Wahl, 2023). Whether, and how, contemporary political leadership styles contribute to girls’ political efficacy beliefs remains a question for empirical investigation.   This paper presents findings on boys’ and girls’ perceptions of political leadership ideals and examines how these ideal conceptions relate to their self-efficacy beliefs. The paper draws on data from 17 focus groups with Belgian high school students (approximately 13-years old). During the focus groups, the students described their ideal political leaders, what constitutes bad leadership, and whether they could imagine themselves in future political roles. They also discussed the skills needed for successful political leadership and whether they had mastered these skills or could envision developing them later in life. The data is analyzed with an intersectional lens and is part of the G-EPIC project, which investigates schools as important socializations agents. After presenting the study’s main findings, the paper discusses implications for citizenship education and socialisation processes and reflects on how classroom interventions may promote the political self-efficacy of all students equally.